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Micah 3

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Indictment of Corrupt Civil Leaders 1–4

1
And I said, Hear, I pray you, ye heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: is it not for you to know justice? ​
2
ye who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; ​
3
who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.
4
Then shall they cry unto Jehovah, but he will not answer them; yea, he will hide his face from them at that time, according as they have wrought evil in their doings. ​

Condemnation of False Prophets 5–8

5
Thus saith Jehovah concerning the prophets that make my people to err; that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and whoso putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him: ​
6
Therefore it shall be night unto you, that ye shall have no vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them. ​
7
And the seers shall be put to shame, and the diviners confounded; yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. ​
8
But as for me, I am full of power by the Spirit of Jehovah, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. ​

Complete Indictment and Final Destruction 9–12

9
Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, that abhor justice, and pervert all equity. ​
10
They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. ​
11
The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet they lean upon Jehovah, and say, Is not Jehovah in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us. ​
12
Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Micah 3

Verse 1

Is it not for you to know judgment? — 'Judgment' (mishpat) is the word that frames the chapter: the rulers ought to know it (v.1), Micah is 'full of… judgment' (v.8), and they 'abhor judgment' (v.9). 'Heads' and 'princes' are the leaders of Jacob and of the house of Israel, who 'hear' here and again in v.9. The question echoes the LORD's own standard in 6:8, 'to do justly'.

Verse 2

Who hate the good, and love the evil — The charge reverses the call of Amos 5:15, 'Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate'. 'Pluck off' (gazal) is the verb of 2:2, 'take them by violence': the seizing of fields there becomes the stripping of skin and flesh here.

Verse 4

Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them — 'Hear' is literally 'answer' (anah), as in Prov 1:28, 'Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer'. 'Hide his face' is the sentence of Deut 31:17, 'I will hide my face from them'. 'At that time' is the 'time' of 2:3, 'for this time is evil'.

Verse 5

that make my people err — Ta'ah, to wander, is the verb of Jer 23:32, 'cause my people to err by their lies'. These prophets cry 'Peace' (shalom) for those who feed them, as in Jer 6:14, 'Peace, peace; when there is no peace', and Ezek 13:10. 'Prepare war' is literally 'sanctify war' (qadash), the verb of Joel 3:9, against whoever puts nothing in their mouths.

Verse 6

the sun shall go down over the prophets — Night falls on the prophets as the sun goes down 'at noon' in Amos 8:9, and the 'vision' (chazon) fails. 'Divine' is qasam, the word of Deut 18:10, 'that useth divination', which the law forbids; it occurs in vv.6, 7 and 11. The prophets who 'divine for money' (v.11) are the ones left without a vision.

Verse 7

the seers be ashamed — 'Seers' (chozeh) is the word Amaziah used of Amos (Amos 7:12). To 'cover their lips' (atah sapham) is the sign of mourning forbidden to Ezekiel (24:17) and of the leper's cry 'Unclean, unclean' (Lev 13:45). 'There is no answer of God' is the dearth of Amos 8:12, where men seek the word of the LORD 'and shall not find it'.

Verse 8

full of power by the spirit of the LORD — Micah answers the question of 2:7, 'is the spirit of the LORD straitened?' He is full (male) of power (koach), judgment (mishpat) and might (gevurah) 'to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin', the commission of Isa 58:1, 'shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins'.

Verse 9

abhor judgment, and pervert all equity — The address of v.1 is repeated, 'heads… princes', 'Hear this'. 'Pervert' is aqash, to twist, and 'equity' (yashar) is that which is straight, so they twist what is straight. 'Judgment' (mishpat) is again the key word, now 'abhorred' (ta'ab), the verb of Amos 5:10, 'they abhor him that speaketh uprightly'.

Verse 10

They build up Zion with blood — The line is that of Hab 2:12, 'Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!' 'Iniquity' (avel) is the word of Lev 19:35, 'Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure'. The rulers of v.9 who 'abhor judgment' are the builders.

Verse 11

Is not the LORD among us? — The question is that of Massah, 'Is the LORD among us, or not?' (Ex 17:7), asked there in doubt and here in assurance. 'Lean upon' (sha'an) is to rest on. 'Reward' (shochad) is the gift forbidden to judges (Deut 16:19), and priests were to 'teach Jacob thy judgments' (Deut 33:10). Jer 7:4 meets the same trust in the temple.

Verse 12

Zion for your sake be plowed as a field — Jer 26:18 quotes the verse, naming 'Micah the Morasthite' in the days of Hezekiah. 'Heaps' (iyyim) is the word of Ps 79:1, 'they have laid Jerusalem on heaps'. The next verse in Jeremiah records that Hezekiah did not put Micah to death but 'fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil' (Jer 26:19).